First Look At Amber Heard In The Rum Diary With Johnny Depp

Adapted from the novel/memoir of the same name by Hunter S. Thompson, The Rum Diary has been a long time coming. The first photos from the set arose more than a year ago, at which time the expected release date was towards the end of 2010.

With its release date finally set at 4th November this year, we’ve got our first look at Amber Heard opposite Johnny Depp, via The Playlist, courtesy of EW.

We last saw Heard in Drive Angry earlier in the year, and though the film didn’t perform very well at the box office, I personally thought it was a pretty decent film, and Heard made the most her role, as she always seems to. In The Rum Diary, Heard will be the love interest for Depp’s character, Paul Kemp, playing an engaged woman with whom Kemp becomes obsessed.

The film also stars Aaron Eckhart (The Dark Knight), Giovanni Ribisi (Avatar), and Richard Jenkins (Let Me In), and has been adapted and directed by Bruce Robinson (Withnail & I).

“The Rum Diary tells the increasingly unhinged story of itinerant journalist Paul Kemp (Depp). Tired of the noise and madness of New York and the crushing conventions of late Eisenhower-era America, Kemp travels to the pristine island of Puerto Rico to write for a local San Juan newspaper run by the downtrodden editor Lotterman (Jenkins). Adopting the rum-soaked lifestyle of the late ’50s version of Hemingway’s “The Lost Generation,” Paul soon becomes entangled with a very attractive American woman, Chenault (Heard) and her fiancée Sanderson (Eckhart), a businessman involved in shady property development deals. It is within this world that Kemp ultimately discovers his true voice as a writer and integrity as a man.”

Depp is of course no stranger to Thompson’s work, having already led the adaptation of Thompson’s other well-known work, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, which has become something of a cult film since its 1998 release. I can’t quite decide what to expect from The Rum Diary. On the one hand, I’d love to see it do well, having such a good cast as it does. But on the other, I’m a little inclined to think that it’s not especially likely to find its audience, at least at the box office. I do think it will be a great film, but its box office takings (which of course aren’t necessarily a reflection on the film itself) may not agree. But here’s to hoping I’m wrong. Without further ado, here’s the nice first look at Amber Heard from the film, looking lovely as ever, undoubtedly being charmed by Depp’s character in this scene.

Since graduating, I spend as much time as possible watching films/TV shows, reading books, and listening to music. So getting to write about what I love is nothing short of awesome.
Biggest film-related hope for 2014/ever: Guy Ritchie announcing the RocknRolla sequel is finally moving forward.